Yes, it's true. After years of putting it off, I am off to join the gym. I've been feeling very inspired by all the posts on here and thinking it's high time I REALLY got my act together re weight loss and exercise. My daughter has just finished her first week of full days at school, so I thought it would be the perfect time to set up a new routine for myself. I also just discovered I can get a fantastic discount because I receive PIP. A sign? Definitely. So I'm joining Fitness Unlimited with Glasgow Life, which gives unlimited access to all the council-run gyms, exercise classes and swimming pools. I was nearly deterred by my printer refusing to print a bank statement for most of the morning, but I now have all the paperwork firmly in hand and am good to go. Toot-toot!
I'm nervous (more about the gym environment than my heart, to be honest) but excited to feel like I'm doing something positive and to see some improvements in heart function, touch wood. Even if my heart function does not improve as a result, I'm confident that doing this will still have its benefits.
I'll be getting a full induction before I use the gym, of course, and will be sure to warn them about my heart beforehand so they can prepare, but just wondering if anyone has any advice re specifics I should be telling them or questions I should be asking? I have advanced heart failure treated by medication (beta blockers, water tablets, Entresto) and a CRT-D device (pacemaker, resynchroniser and defibrillator).
Thanks in advance!
Written by
laura_dropstitch
Heart Star
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Hi Laura, a good gym will ask about more questions about physical health then heart condition, be ready to describe your diet, sleep and rest.
The temptation is to push hard or go very lite but the real benefit of a gym is that you have support in reaching realistic goals. Setting sensible targets etc., and having someone close by - it reduces anxiety.
Have fun - I have a home gym and the only thing I miss about the local gym is the company.
They'll probably ask you all the relevant questions anyway, but if you have a brief summary from your GP that might be helpful. Also check in with them about their first aid policies and the location of their defibrillator. If they have concerns about your ICD they can always email us directly for advice about this, or for face-to-face coaching or training they can contact their local ambulance service.
Thanks, Chaz. I have my gym induction on Tuesday, so spare me a thought...!
You're Glasgow(ish) based, aren't you? Have you heard about the Live Active referral scheme with Glasgow Club? A couple of the venues have specialist trainers who will work with you if you have a health condition that could benefit from activity(pretty much any health condition, you just need your GP to refer you) and they do supervised 1:1 sessions until you're satisfied you have the right programme up and running and feel confident about doing it. My induction on Tuesday is with a standard trainer, but they said I could arrange a Live Active consultation through my GP if I felt like any of my concerns hadn't been answered thoroughly enough. I'll see how Tuesday goes, but I think I might pursue this. Sounds like a great scheme, just a shame I'd never heard of it before now! Maybe not your thing, but felt I should start spreading the word
Hi I am in Johnstone, not far out town, I confess to being a bit on the lazy side although when I was at work I used to literally march about the city in my lunch break! now I seem to just jump in my car hmm , believe it or not I heard about the sceme through my 88 year old mother who goes to the gym on a Tuesday and the sauna on a Sunday, she puts me to shame thats for sure, I have just had a look at fit bits, the prices seem to vary such a lot I wasn't sure what I actually need xx
Skid112 has been in touch with Fitbit to ask if they'd consider offering users of this forum a discount. You never know!
I think the most basic Fitbit is enough if you only want to use it to increase your step count and connect with others/compete on steps. I like having the extras because I love data and find having a few different goals helps keep me motivated. I'll probably start paying more attention to the heart rate function if I start doing a bit more aerobic exercise.
😊 it's the alander she goes to,that would be great if we could get some kind of discount, I have just been put on half pay boohoo 😥 but it's still worth thinking about xx
Congrats on joining the gym, you will only improve your fitness and improve your health and well being. More aerobic exercise is what you need. The most important reading is your HR not the amount of steps your take! HR gives you the most important data of how your fitness is improving. Start off with a low Zone like 1 or 2 and gradually build up. Here is a good article that will help polar.com/blog/running-hear...
Eating healthy is very important as well as is rest but people don't realise unless you exercise your not going to improve your heart health, you heart will only become more efficient with exercise and be less likely to fall to disease . Together we can fit heart disease, I like this positive step, congrats and well done.
Exercise causes the heart to pump blood into the circulation more efficiently as a result of more forceful and efficient myocardial contractions, increased perfusion of tissues and organs with blood, and increased oxygen delivery.
Aerobic conditioning exercises, such as running and swimming, train the heart and lungs to pump blood more efficiently, allowing more oxygen to get to muscles and organs.
Exercise is protective against metabolic syndrome, lowers blood pressure, works against blood clotting, and lowers stress, all of which contribute to improved cardiovascular health.
Thanks for the encouragement I do exercise already (swimming, tap dancing, hula hooping etc, as well as walking a fair bit) but have found it hard, time-wise, to commit to any routine long-term. I've also avoided more intense/aerobic exercises as my heart failure means I have a very limited energy supply and I need to use most of that for day-to-day life. I'm sure most people, people in general as well as people with heart conditions, know the importance of exercise and aerobic exercise in particular, but that doesn't mean it's easy to pursue.
Thinking all of this will be easier now my daughter is at school and I have a couple of weekdays I don't work, so I decided to act quickly, before I had time to chicken out! I've paid for a year's membership up front (a lot of money for me) so that's another incentive to make it work, as if the heart failure wasn't motivation enough!
yes hard to fine time with family etc I know the feeling. Looks like your doing all the right things exercise wise. Any exercise is good whether intense or not. Another good option is a fast walk or slow run. I look at weather over winter and wrap yourself up in some good training winter kit, you come back home feeling great have a hot shower and it's feel of achievement. We must be careful with intense exercise as in your case..... looking all positive. Thanks.
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